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After signing the visitors’ log at the trauma center, Victoria and Bell headed for the waiting room. She was almost praying that seats were available away from other people, where she could hear her thoughts without distraction. When they came to the door and started looking around, an attractive, dark-haired woman noticed them and came over.
“Excuse me, are you Victoria Carpenter?”
“Yes, I am,” Victoria answered, wondering how this strange woman could know her name.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” she said with a smile. “I’m Joana Powell. My husband is Ben’s commanding officer.”
Victoria almost fainted with relief. Benjamin had described Joana Powell as one of the finest women he had ever met and considered her a close friend. He shared many stories of her warmth and kindness, and Victoria had been looking forward to meeting her. “Oh, Mrs. Powell, I am so happy to meet you! Benjamin speaks of you so often.” She smiled as she looked her up and down. “He was correct; you are very beautiful.” Joana gasped, and her eyes filled with tears. Oh, no! I made her cry! Why can I never say the right thing at times like this? “Mrs. Powell, I am very sorry. I did not mean to upset you,” Victoria said hastily.
“No, please don’t think that!” Joana said, then took a breath and wiped her eyes. “You could not have said anything more right just now. I know we’ve just met, but I want very much to hug you. Do you mind?”
“Oh, not at all!” Victoria answered and then gave her a warm hug. When they separated, she continued. “This is Lashon Bell. He escorted me down from Bethesda.”
Joana held out her hand and said, “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Bell.”
“Likewise, Ma’am,” Bell said, shaking her hand.
“If you’ll follow me, I have staked out seats for us over here. And I wish you two would call me Joana.”
As they approached the empty seats, a young man with short hair in surgical scrubs and wire-rimmed glasses stood up.
“Victoria Carpenter, Lashon Bell, this is Mike Bryant. He’s the Health Technician on Kauai and attended Ben on the flight,” Joana said.
“Oh, yes. Benjamin has told me about you as well. How are you, Michael?” Victoria asked, holding out her hand.
“I’m well, thank you, Miss,” Bryant replied, awkwardly shaking her hand.
“Oh, good. You are wearing surgical garments. Are you going to assist with the procedure?”
“No, Miss, they loaned me these after we got here. My uniform was...dirty.” In fact, his uniform was covered with blood, but he did not want to mention that detail.
“Oh, I see. Can you tell me what is happening?”
“Yes, Miss. It would be better if we sat down, I think.” After they were seated, he continued. “What have you been told?”
“Benjamin suffered a head injury that resulted in an epidural hematoma. He was evacuated by helicopter from his ship and flown directly here.”
Bryant relaxed a little. “That’s right, Miss. Do you know what an epidural hematoma is?”
“I have read about it.” She recited the definitions and details she had read on the MedlinePlus site.
Bryant was clearly impressed. “Wow. OK, after the lieutenant collapsed, the army surgeon we were carrying had a look and called the condition. He, um, did an initial treatment to remove the excess blood and relieve the pressure. Then we were hoisted by the helicopter and taken here. They took the lieutenant straight in for an MRI while I briefed Dr. Chaudhri, the surgeon, on how he got hurt and the steps we’d taken so far. He went into surgery about half an hour ago.”
“Oh, I see. I am sorry to ask all these questions, but I am very nervous. Benjamin told me you were a heroic medic in the army before you came into the Coast Guard. Can you tell me from your experience what we can expect?”
Bryant’s mouth hung open briefly, then he said, “He told you that? Um, well, it’s like this, Miss....” He then engaged in a serious discussion with the young woman for over thirty minutes.
The exchange astounded Joana. She and Sam had had Bryant over for dinner, along with a couple of other crew members. Despite their considerable talents at putting people at ease, they had barely gotten five words in a row out of him. This young woman had him excitedly telling his life’s story minutes into their first meeting. Joana’s turn came next.
“Joana, I hope you do not mind answering questions, but I am still very nervous and am hoping for a distraction while we await news of Benjamin’s operation. He told me you do computer graphic design. I am comfortable working with computers, and I enjoy art, but I struggle with the concept of how they can be put together. Would you mind explaining how you do that, please?”
“My pleasure, Victoria,” Joana answered. They went into a lively back and forth about raster graphics and bitmaps, 3D modeling, rendering, and the various other tools and techniques she used. Victoria’s voracious interest in her work was so captivating that Joana could gratefully lose herself in the conversation and put aside, for a time, the crushing worry that brought them here.
A few minutes into the conversation, Bell realized what was happening, got up, and walked to Bryant. “Come on, kid. Let me buy you a cup of coffee,” he said. Bryant nodded and followed him out of the waiting room. Once in the hallway, Bell said, “Don’t take it personally. She has a one-person lock-on function.”
An hour-and-a-half later, they were all together again when a staff member came into the room and announced, “Michael Bryant.”
Bryant looked at the others and said, “This is it. I listed myself on the check-in form.” They all stood and walked over to the woman calling his name. “I’m Bryant.”
The woman looked at the others and said, “Are all these people family?”
“The women are cleared,” Bryant said. He turned toward Bell. “I’m sorry, Lashon, you’re not on the list.”
“Not a problem. I’ll hang out here.”
“Thanks.” He turned back to the woman. “After you.”
The woman led them to a small room with a table and four chairs. “Wait here, please. The doctor will be here shortly.”
After they all sat down, Victoria’s mind was racing. Why did they move us in here? Is it because it is bad news? Are they afraid we are going to make a scene?
Joana looked at her and must have realized she was upset. She reached over and took her hand. “Don’t go crazy, Victoria. The privacy laws prevent them from saying anything about Ben’s condition in public, and that’s why they moved us here.”
“Thank you, Joana. I was worried about that.”
There was a knock, and a tall, dark-skinned man with eyeglasses pushed up on his forehead stepped in and closed the door as Victoria, Joana, and Bryant stood. “Hello, I’m Rajesh Chaudhri. I already met Mike. You are?”
“Doctor, this is Victoria Carpenter and Joana Powell. The patient has cleared both on his releases.”
“Oh, good, please sit down.”
When they had settled, Victoria’s hands were shaking. Joana put her right arm around Victoria’s shoulder and put out her left hand for Victoria to hold.
“I have good news. The procedure went very well.” Chaudhri paused when Victoria exhaled. “I closed up the damaged artery with a very small craniotomy. He will be in recovery for another hour, and then we will move him to the ICU.”
“So, when will he wake up?” Victoria blurted out. Why did you say that? Give the man a chance! “I am sorry, Doctor. I am very nervous.”
“That’s perfectly understandable.” Chaudhri reached out and patted her hand. “I would not expect him to come out of the coma for at least twenty-four hours, possibly as much as seventy-two.”
Victoria took a deep breath. “He will be alright then, correct?”
“There is every chance of that. I didn’t see any damage to the brain structures, either on the MRI or when we had him open, but it was a huge bleed. We won’t know for sure until he awakens, and we can do some tests.”
Victoria closed her eyes. “I need to be with him.”
“We can certainly arrange that once he is settled in the ICU, but honestly, he won’t be conscious again for at least a day.”
“I need to be with him, Doctor. I can talk to him. Would that help?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.”
“That is it, then. I am staying.”
Chaudhri smiled and patted her hands again. “Very well, I’ll see to it. If you’ll excuse me, I need to look after another patient.” They all stood and shook hands, then Chaudhri left the room.
“I need to get down to Key West to meet the ship if I can,” Bryant said. “Lashon is heading down there, and I thought I could bum a ride off of him.”
“I can stay here with you if you like, Victoria,” Joana said.
“No, you need to attend to your children. I would be very grateful if you could wait with me until Benjamin is in his room.”
“Absolutely. Mike, do you need anything before you go?”
“No, thanks, Mrs. P. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, I guess we can go rejoin the world then.”
They moved back into the waiting area and met up with Bell.
“Victoria, I need to get on to Key West to meet Pete. I think they will be in a little after dawn, so I need to head down tonight. Will you be OK here?” Bell asked.
“Lashon, I’ll take care of her,” Joana said. “You and Mike hit the road before it gets too crazy.”
“OK, if you’re sure,” Bell said.
“I am sure, Lashon. Thank you very much for taking care of me!” Victoria said as she hugged the agent.
“OK, let me bring up your bag, and then we’ll roll.”
The two men left after retrieving her bag, and Victoria and Joana sat down again. “Joana, may I ask you a personal question?”
“Naturally. What’s on your mind?”
“I do not know if I am right for Benjamin. I was so frightened, and I am still so frightened about what happened to him. Does it go away?”
“No, it doesn’t. You can learn to live with it, but it’s always there. When Sam is out and the phone rings, my heart is in my throat until I find out it’s not bad news. It might be a little easier for me than for some other spouses. My dad was a Navy submariner, and we never knew where he was or what he was doing. We learned how to live with the fear.”
“Have you thought about asking Samuel to stop and do something else?”
“I have. And he could, too. He turned his back on a lucrative Wall Street career to join the service long before we met. If I were to push hard and make it a choice between the Coast Guard or me, I know he would resign his commission. To provide for us, he would go cap-in-hand to his father and, after a suitable period in scut jobs to atone for his previous career mistake, be welcomed back into the fold, start making big money and be home every night. Cool, right? The problem is he wouldn’t be Sam anymore, just another soulless suit commuting in every day and doing anything, everything to make more money because that’s all they live for.
“So, I hold my breath when the phone rings and treasure every day he’s home with us. He’s worth it.”
“Do you think Benjamin is worth it?”
Joana looked at Victoria and raised her eyebrow. “That’s a question only you can answer. I can tell you that Ben is certainly a close second to the finest man I’ve ever known. I am friends with Emilia Hopkins, and she swears there isn’t anyone in the crew who wouldn’t take a bullet for him. But I can’t tell you he’s worth being a Coast Guard spouse. I can only assure you that there’s no one else who would be more worth it.”
“I see,” Victoria said with a furrowed brow. “Do you think I would be good for him?”
“Victoria, I’ve only known you for a couple of hours, but I think you’re wonderful. I know Ben is crazy about you. But, besides the sudden death thing, which is admittedly quite big, there’s the career thing. I work from home and am very happy with that. Sam could be assigned to Kodiak, Alaska, and I’d be OK with living there, as long as they have the Internet. Would you? If you want a top-flight career, moving up the corporate ladder, you need to find someone else because there will eventually be a collision. Then it’s either a breakup or someone compromises big time, which probably still ends in a breakup. Just saying, better now than later.”
“Oh, I have no aspirations toward a career. I am not good with people at all. There is a...a problem that hinders my understanding of affect, so I could never cope with being a manager. I like to do mathematical analysis, and I am very good at it. I think I can find that work anywhere. Perhaps I could even do that online, like you. But I am worried about the fear and if I can handle it.”
“So, here’s your test, girl. This is almost as bad as it gets. You’ll have your answer when it’s over.”
Victoria turned to face her. “It could be worse than this?”
Joana nodded, thinking of Hopkins’s experience. “Yes. You can get the final news without the wait.” She put her arm around Victoria’s shoulder. “But you’ll always have your Coast Guard family to help you.”
Victoria was settling in to contemplate that last point when the hospital staffer appeared again and came over to their location. “Miss Carpenter? Mr. Wyporek has been moved to his room in the ICU, and you can see him now.”
“Yes. Thank you. Please go ahead.” Victoria grabbed the handle of her rollaboard, and she and Joana followed the woman through several hospital corridors before arriving at the door. Victoria froze at the door, locked in an internal conflict of desperately wanting to be with Benjamin and a mind-numbing fear of what she would see when she walked into the room.
After a few seconds, the staffer remarked with some annoyance, “You can go in now, Miss Carpenter.”
“Thank you, that will be all. We can handle it from here,” Joana responded with even more annoyance. After the staffer wheeled and strode off, Joana took Victoria’s free hand and whispered, “There’s no hurry at all. We can go in whenever you are ready.”
Victoria took a deep breath, nodded, and said, “Thank you, Joana. We can go in now.” They walked through the door together. Victoria went slightly weak in the knees at her first sight of Benjamin, then recovered when Joana put her arm around her and steadied her. Victoria carried out the process she had planned while they were waiting. She positioned her rollaboard against the wall, pulled up a small chair, sat, and took Benjamin’s left hand in both of hers. His hand was warm but limp, and she held it to her cheek briefly as she looked at his face. His eyes were closed like he was asleep, and his head had a small bandage on the right side. He was breathing silently and steadily through a nasal cannula, connected by a clear tube to a bubble humidifier. Several tubes and wires led from under his blanket to a monitor station displaying pulse, blood pressure, respiration, temperature, and O2 saturation. Victoria observed with relief that all these readings appeared to be within the normal range from what she had read.
Joana kneeled beside the chair and asked. “Are you OK? Is there anything I can do for you?”
Victoria put her arm around Joana’s shoulders and said, “No. You have done so much for me already. I was really frightened when I arrived, and I was so relieved that I could meet and talk to you while I was waiting. Benjamin is fortunate to have friends like you.”
Joana brushed away a fresh tear and said, “Thank you.” She handed Victoria a note. “This is my cell phone number. I’ll be in tomorrow, but if you need anything or just want to talk, it doesn’t matter what time you call me. OK?”
“Thank you, Joana. I will see you tomorrow,” Victoria said and turned back to Ben.
Joana stood, leaned over, kissed Ben lightly on the forehead, then turned and did the same to Victoria before leaving the room.
“Benjamin,” Victoria began. “I do not know if you can hear me. But if you can, I want you to know I am here and waiting for you to return.” She held his hand to her cheek again. “I love you so much, Benjamin. Please come back to me.”
The smell of the primavera was very inviting. Hopkins knew Chef was putting his heart into this meal, appreciating the opportunity it furnished to restore some balance after the mayhem. Sam had requested everyone not on watch muster on the afterdeck as they had the day they left Key West. The mood was subdued—everyone was thinking of the wounded men, especially the XO.
“Attention on Deck!” Drake shouted as Sam appeared. He stopped in front of the assembled group and returned Drake’s salute. “All present or accounted for, sir.”
“Thank you, COB. Fall out and gather round, please!”
Hopkins made her way to stand behind Sam as the crew moved forward. All looked concerned, as they knew some important news had arrived. Hopkins noticed that even Lee, usually solid as a rock, seemed almost fearful and held Williams’s arm with both hands as they moved forward.
“Folks, I have some good news. We just got word from JIATF South: Mr. Wyporek’s surgery was successful, and he has been moved into recovery.”
There were a few gasps, then a chorus of cheers and clapping. Hopkins, holding her breath, exhaled and shared a look with Drake, who nodded and mouthed, “Told ya.”
Sam held his hand up, and the celebration subsided. “Definitely cause to celebrate, but he may be out for a while. The next couple of days will tell the tale. I want to call out Major Roberts and Specialists Rabin and Langley, who no shit saved the XO’s life and did some fine work to make Brian Jenkins and our other wounded guests as comfortable as possible. Let’s hear it for our army guests.” There was more clapping and nods to Roberts and his aides. “Sadly, we are carrying back the remains of Jorge Dominguez, the DEA agent. He saved the mission and most of our lives by getting Carlos Rojas’s engines operating at that most critical time and fell alongside the XO in that last firefight. Let’s remember him always as one of our shipmates.” There was more subdued clapping and a few nods.
“I want to finish with a personal thank you from me for the terrific job you have done on this mission. I can’t give you much in the way of details, but I can assure you it was of supreme importance to the country. Alright, I don’t want to keep you from Chef’s culinary masterpiece any longer. We will pull into Key West for a fuel stop tomorrow at 09:00, and I’ll pass along anything I hear about the XO. Questions?” After a brief pause, he continued. “Chiefs, hang around for a bit. Everyone else, dig into that primavera!”
“Attention on Deck!” Drake shouted, and everyone came to attention.
“Carry on, thank you!” Sam said.
As the crew turned and wandered toward the door to the messdeck, Hopkins moved over to Drake, and together they went to see Sam. He was talking with one of the SEALs and turned as they stepped over.
“Chief Drake, Chief Hopkins, have you met Senior Chief D’Agostino?”
After greetings and handshakes, Sam continued. “We will obviously be tight for space. Fortunately, it will be a quick trip. COB, get Major Roberts set up in the XO’s stateroom, then you and Chief Hopkins work with the senior chief to find a spot for his guys.” He turned to D’Agostino. “I’m sorry, Senior Chief, but the best we can offer until Key West is some deck space for each man.”
“We’ve had worse, Captain.”
“Yes, I’m sure you have. Anyway, please see COB here if there’s anything you need. Thank you, Senior Chief, and I’ll see you later.” After returning D’Agostino’s salute, he turned to Drake and Hopkins. “Chiefs, we need to keep a lid on this mission. I need you to do a personal sit down with every crew member and emphasize what classified means and what can happen to them if they spill to anyone. Read me?”
“Yes, sir,” Drake and Hopkins said in unison.
“OK, let’s head in before Chef runs out of chow.”
The arrival at Truman Annex was a solemn event. As soon as Kauai moored, the wounded were taken off and placed in ambulances for the local hospital trip. Admiral Pennington and his command staff were standing in ranks on the mole and came to attention and saluted when Dominguez’s body was brought ashore. The seven unwounded SEALs carried the body as an impromptu honor guard as Bondurant blew the salute on his Boatswain’s Pipe, and Kauai’s crew rendered honors in tropical blue uniforms. Everyone stood at attention until the body had been turned over to Agent Bartlett and placed in the hearse standing by on the mole.
When the hearse had driven off, Sam came ashore, walked over to Pennington, came to attention, and saluted. Pennington returned the salute and shook Sam’s hand. “Congratulations on a magnificent job and bringing your crew back safely, Sam.”
“Most of them, sir. But thank you.”
“Yes, I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Ben. I inquired over there before I came down—no change. But it’s still early, and I think we can count on him being back with us soon.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam nodded. “Beyond the personal stuff, he’s left quite a hole Hopkins and I are struggling to fill.”
“I know, I know,” Pennington said, then turned and looked at Kauai’s crane and boat damage. “Our beautiful Orchid got a bit roughed up. I’m relieved you had as few casualties as you did. Listen, I know you’re beat, but can you take me around and give me a personal report?”
“Of course, sir. Do you want me to hold off on refueling until after you leave?”
“No, no. Please have the crew carry on with the work. We need to get you all home ASAP.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam said tiredly. “If you could follow me, please.”
It had been a long, mostly sleepless night for Victoria. The nursing staff had provided her with sheets and pillows she could use in the room’s recliner, and she made the best of it. However, besides the new surroundings and general discomfort of the chair, the monitor station beeped loudly after recording Ben’s blood pressure at fifteen-minute intervals. Her brain’s rational part acknowledged the beeping was a normal part of the hospital environment, and there was no reason for alarm. Yet, that tiny, less rational part saying, “Yes, but what if this time there is?” always won out, waking her up and forcing her to check for herself.
For most of the day, Victoria talked to Benjamin and read to him from a Patrick O’Brian adventure novel she had downloaded to her tablet. She knew he enjoyed the sound of her voice and had expressed his enjoyment of the historical fiction genre in one of their talks. Victoria hoped she was reading it correctly—the authenticity of the language O’Brian employed was very challenging for her. By mid-afternoon, fatigue won out, and Victoria put her head down on the bed next to Benjamin’s hand and slept.
It was that wonderful day again, back on the DC Mall. The weather was perfect, and she was walking close to Benjamin, feeling his warmth, feeling totally safe in his presence. They stopped outside the Metro station, and she looked up into those beautiful eyes, blue as the sky, while he pushed her hair back and stroked her temple. She loved the feeling as his fingers gently caressed her hair. Then the wonderful dream faded away.
But not the gentle stroking of her temple.
Victoria’s eyes flew open, and she bolted upright. Benjamin’s hand fell away as she sat up, so she reached out and grasped it with both of hers. He looked at her with those beautiful eyes and a slight smile on his stubble-covered face. I am not still dreaming, please; I am not still dreaming! “Benjamin!”
He was trying to say something, but was too hoarse to speak. Finally, he mouthed, “Water, please.” Victoria put his hand down carefully and poured a cup of ice water. Her hands were shaking as she moved the cup to his lips until his hands closed over and gently steadied them. After a few sips, he nodded, and she placed the cup back on the table, then returned and took both his hands in hers. He smiled more broadly at her and squeezed her hands softly.
“Hello, Victoria,” he said in a creaky voice. “How was your day?”
She could not find the words to speak, could not even find the thoughts to think. She just leaned over, gripped Benjamin’s shoulders, buried her face in his chest, and quietly sobbed as he gently stroked her hair.
